The Villa Foscari (begun ca. 1558) at Malcontenta di Mira, close to Venice, is another of Palladio's villas with strongly scenographic qualities. The building is raised on an unusually high base, giving it an urban character, while the rustication running all round it contributes to its rural character. The portico of the facade facing the river, crowned by a massive pediment, is balanced on the rear facade facing the surrounding countryside by a large thermal window inscribed in a broken-bed pediment, a device that occurs in other buildings by Palladio and indicates both his study of antiquity and his independent treatment of the idiom derived from it.